ACCESS Matters.  Student Accessibility Services is committed to creating and promoting a more accessible and inclusive QCC environment. We are a resource to provide access for students with disabilities. By partnering with you, we ensure students experience access in their coursework through accommodations or other outcomes.

 

SYLLABUS ACCESSIBILITY STATEMENT

Quinsigamond Community College is committed to providing access and inclusion for all persons with disabilities. Students who require an accommodation in this course should notify the professor as soon as possible. Students are responsible for forwarding the Accommodation Letter to the professor (via email or hard copy).  Students may request accommodations at any time during the semester, which begin upon receipt (accommodations are not retroactive). Please discuss any barriers which may arise during the semester with your Professor or Coordinator in the Student Accessibility Services office.

Student Accessibility Services Contact Information:

Call:   508-854-4471     Email:   sas@qcc.mass.edu     Sorenson Video Phone:  508-502-7647

 

Interpreter and Communication Access Services

Student Accessibility Services facilitates and coordinates communication access needs by scheduling ASL interpreters for your class, program, or event. Please provide as much notice as possible to secure an interpreter. Two week’s notice is a minimum, but SAS understands that some requests are last-minute.  SAS will make every effort to fill the request, however, we can’t guarantee that an interpreter will be available.

 

Use the accommodation invitation when publicizing your event: “If you need an accommodation in order to fully participate in this event, please contact [name] at [phone or email] by [date] in order for us to make arrangements.”

 

Request an interpreter by emailing Kim Cummings, Manager of Interpreter Services: kcummings@qcc.mass.edu

or by calling 508-854-2728 (phone) or video phone at 508-502-7647 (Sorenson).

Please include the following information:

 

  • Class/event name
  • Date
  • Time (start and end time)
  • Location

 

You will receive a confirmation email and a possible request for more information in order to understand the theme, topic, or nature of the event.

 

If you have any questions about the interpreter’s role, please ask in advance of the assignment.  Placing the interpreter in a place with adequate lighting and sight-lines is important for the deaf person to view the interpreter.

 

Office Information          

Monday - Thursday:   8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Friday 8:00 am - 12 noon

P: 508-854-4471

Sorenson Video Phone: 508-502-7647

 
      E: sas@qcc.mass.edu
     
Administration Building Room 246
    670 West Boylston St.
Worcester, MA 01606-2092
 
 

Choosing Accessible Material for Your Course

Think UDL! Accessibility Assessment Toolkit

By Faculty, for Faculty

Implementing the principles of universal design in learning means anticipating the diversity of students that may enroll in your course and planning accordingly. Faculty from the University of South Carolina Upstate developed their own instructional materials for compliance.  Please see the link to their tool kit, which contains:

- Course Accessibility Checklist

- Guide to Prioritizing Captioning

- Captioning Assessment Form

Accessibility-Assessment-Toolkit.pdf

 

Faculty Guide to Accommodations

The new Faculty Guide to Accommodations for 2023-24 has been released.

Faculty Guide to Accommodations. January 2024

The PDF is tagged and accessible using ReadWriteGold, ReadSpeaker, or other screen readers. Hard copies, enlarged versions, and digital copies in alternate format are available on request.

On behalf of this office, we appreciate the ongoing collaboration with the Office of Instructional Technology & Assessment, and their efforts to assist with implementing Universal Design and accessible course content.  They truly make our job easier!

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Student Accessibility Services.  We look forward to working together in order to build a more inclusive, equitable, and accessible campus.

FAQ for Faculty:

Glean Faculty Guide

Online Class Recordings

Class Recordings Decision Tree, ADA & FERPA

 

Test Accommodation for QCC Students with Disabilities

Accessible Testing Services

By partnering with you, we ensure students experience access in their coursework through accommodations or other outcomes.  When accommodations are needed so that students with disabilities have equal access to demonstrate their knowledge, faculty must complete an Exam Checklist and submit the exam to the office 2 business days before the exam.  This can be delivered in person, or electronically clicking here: Exam Checklist

Faculty have the option:

  • Complete the checklist once and Student Accessibility Services will use this same checklist throughout the semester if the testing conditions and parameters for the student do not change
  • Complete a new checklist for each test,  one per student or multiple students

Student Accessibility Services will email you a Test Request with the student's test reservation form. Please confirm the test date and time, and notify SAS if there are updates to the test administration. 

Helpful Links

Blackboard Tests-Best Practice Tips

Using Test Exceptions to Modify Testing Options for Individual Students

 

Please contact us if you have any questions.  Thank you.

 

Invisible Disabilities - Good To Know

Most disabilities are invisible: learning disabilities, medical conditions, psychological impairments, and Autism Spectrum Disorder.  Many times you may not know whether you are working with a student with a disability unless they disclose their disability to you.

 

 

Students will typically disclose their disability in one of two ways:

 
  • You receive  from the student an accommodation  letter prepared by our office; or
  • The student will inform you directly that s/he has a disability. 

Students are not required to tell you what their disability is and they are not required to show you any documentation of their disability.  What they need to provide you is an accommodation form from our office detailing the student’s accommodations.

 

 

The University of Washington’s Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology (DO-IT) center has also put together a great list of faculty resources for working with students with disabilities including:

 
  • Resources from DO-IT  - Web-based publications to be printed and video presentations from DO-IT that are useful to postsecondary educators
  • Specific Disability Resources - resources related to teaching students with specific disabilities.
  • Specific Academic Activity Resources - resources for helping instructors accommodate students with disabilities in specific academic activities.
  • Knowledge Base - search the Knowledge Base for question and answers, case studies, and promising practices regarding the education and employment of students with disabilities.

In reference to Universal Design and creating access for all, California State University's Universal Design Center has created a valuable website with guides on making instructional materials accessible, web accessibility, creating math content for the web and more.  To access this resource click here.

Frequently Asked Questions

If a student discloses that they have a disability to me, but I never received an accommodation letter, what should I do?

You should refer the student to Student Accessibility Services.  S/he will meet with a coordinator to discuss the barriers they are experiencing in the course due to their disability, and if there is a need for an accommodation.  You do not need to provide the students with accommodations until they have given you an accommodation letter from student Accessibility Services. Please see the Faculty Guide to Accommodations which is located on the Q.

 

If I provide my Powerpoint slides to every student in the class, but a student is also approved for notetaking assistance through the Student Accessibility Services, do they still require a classroom notetaker?

This depends on the student and how much information is given on the slides.  You should contact Student Accessibility Services to review.  The Coordinator can then discuss with the student whether a classroom notetaker is still necessary.